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He added: "First, [the] pilot told us of diversion. Then only once landed after about 5-10 mins pilot made announcement of bomb threat.

"When I heard I was pretty surprised the plane was allowed to take off."

Ryanair told Mirror Online police had carried out a security search and cleared the aircraft to return to service while in Kaunas. The airline said the plane was then diverted to Stansted, "in line with security procedures", en route to Luton.

RAF fighter jets were seen escorting the plane into Stansted shortly before 9am, while armed police were scrambled on the tarmac.

Eyewitnesses claimed they were taken off the plane by up to 25 officers in a line, as the airport was reportedly put in "lockdown".

All flights in and out of Stansted were grounded while the plane was brought to ground (Image: JZ / @zulu_wooloo)

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Pictures showed travellers - including children and a man on crutches - being led away from Flight FR2145 by armed cops.

Sniffer dogs were also reportedly deployed. All flights in and out of Stansted were grounded while the plane was brought to ground.

Ryanair said the security scare was a suspected hoax, while Essex Police said officers had found nothing suspicious on board.

A Ryanair spokeswoman said: "“This flight from Kaunas to London Luton (4 Oct) was delayed ahead of take-off after Lithuanian authorities received a suspected hoax security alert. Police carried out a security search and cleared the aircraft to return to service, customers boarded and the flight departed to Luton.

Armed police on the tarmac at Stansted (Image: JZ / @zulu_wooloo)

"While on approach to Luton, upon the request of UK authorities, the aircraft diverted to London Stansted in line with security procedures, and landed normally at Stansted, where customers disembarked and were transferred to Luton by coach. Local police carried out a further search and cleared the aircraft to resume service once more.”

A spokesman for the airport said all flights had been resumed after being held for about 10 minutes.

The RAF Typhoon jets were sent from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, to intercept the aircraft, the Ministry of Defence said.

A sonic boom echoed across the Suffolk skyline when the jets sped through the sound barrier, Suffolk Police confirmed.

The RAF Typhoon has a top speed of 1,500mph (file picture) (Image: PA Wire)

Flight trackers show the aircraft circled several times over the North Sea before heading into the UK.

Jason Maerz, 25, who works at Stansted, said: “I just arrived and parked my car and as I got out, six or seven police cars came through the security gates.

“They were heading round past the cargo point and there were two Eurofighter jets flying overhead. One was circling quite high and the other was quite low down to the ground."

Speaking earlier, he added: “Everything seems to be normal inside the terminal. What’s going on is past the cargo area not actually at the airport terminal itself.”

An RAF spokesman said: "The RAF can confirm Quick Reaction Alert Typhoon aircraft were launched this morning from RAF Coningsby to intercept a civilian aircraft.

"The aircraft was safely escorted to Stansted Airport. The Typhoon aircraft were authorised to transit at supersonic speed for operational reasons; any inconvenience caused to local residents is regretted."

Essex Police said in a statement: "We have now completed enquiries after a plane was diverted to Stansted Airport and have not found anything suspicious."

The force said the plane landed safely at around 8.55am and passengers were "safely brought off". It added that although the runway was closed while the plane landed, it has since reopened and services at the airport "are running as usual".

A National Air Traffic Services spokeswoman told Mirror Online that earlier claims that London airspace was closed were "absolutely not true".

Stansted is a designated airport for dealing with hijacks and major security alerts.